And the Road is Endless
by Omicron the IceQueen
Summary: Road Saga: Trapped in an ever changing world that belongs mostly to humans, Sonic makes his way with the one of the few real friend he's made. It doesn't really matter to him if he can't remember how he got on this road. He's here and the path ahead seems to have no end of possibilities.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

"It is said, that all ending are merely beginnings, waiting to be born…"

-Mata Nui, The Legend Reborn

White-hot pain, it burned all over, inside and out. The pain happened so fast that it took a few moments longer for him to realize what was going on. The mass of energy was shifting around him, it drowned and engulfed him completely as it changed his body to suit the needs if the true core of his being.

The desire to move, to run, to do something started to build up inside of him, but he was trapped in the flocculating power. He was becoming shorter, part of his body's mass dissolving away. Yet at the same time he was becoming stronger then before. He was leaner, muscles reforming so the most powerful were in his legs, making him faster. More importantly his heart was changing, both physically to be able to weather what was to come, but metaphorically as well with it suddenly unchaining so fast that he gasped.

He needed to get _away_ and run. Though some part of his mind refused to do so, he had a duty, dreams… duty… a duty? What in the world? Why would he have a duty to anything or anyone?

Parts evaporated and others grew, at first the layer of rich blue fur was thin. Clumps of his hair lengthened and fused together as it became hard, yet still smallish quills that were the same light blue shade. His still-forming quills stood up on end as a growing tail went ridged as it extended.

Things that he had worried about everyday were becoming less important as other thoughts surged to the forefront of his mind. Still other thoughts and memories faded away into nothing, forever lost as that other part of him died.

Dilated green eyes opened and stared ahead in the ever-lasting whiteness that surrounded him.

_Chaos!_

Those same green eyes became clearer, sharper then before. They were no longer tainted with regrets or fears and the rest of his form changed once more, but it was different this time. For the energy and chaos no longer hurt. It curled around him, absorbing into his lean form, turning his light blue fur a radiant golden color. Now long quills, that were also the same golden color, spread out behind him, bending upwards without breaking.

He closed his eyes feeling the energy become apart of him, no longer randomly flicking out in all directions. Rather, he _controlled_ it, pulling it into himself. He slowly drifted back down to the ground as the last trails of the Chaos Blast were absorbed into the anthro's body.

Men and woman, guards, researchers and soldiers, all those that had rushed over now exchanged looks between one another. Their stunned gazes always drifting back to the new anthro as he stood still with his eyes closed.

The anthro's ears twitched up as he heard voices then flicked this way and that to pick up the murmurs of the other people, but other then that he didn't move.

"…Hines?" A hesitant voice of one of the soldiers called.

Blood red eyes snapped open and anthro looked over at the man, who froze in place. There were no color-pigmentations in the Anthro's eyes, so the circulating blood in showed through. Despite the shade of his gaze there wasn't animalist drives, or even threatening to this being. His eyes showed intelligence and some mild curiosity as he tilted his head before softening as fleeting, and fading, memories of flirting with the woman that had spoken up next.

"_I'm sorry._" The anthro looked down, voice echoing with power. When he looked up again his eyes had gone a pure, solid white as his form started to glow almost from within. "_Chaos…_"

"No! Scott!"

"Sir, wait!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"…_control!_"

The area flooded with light and energy again, but this time everything seemed to stop. Or at the very least, slowed down to a crawling pace for everyone, except for three people. It didn't last long, just enough for what was still left of his former self to whisper goodbye.

New claws flexed, skin pricked while fur and quills flared out into a silver-white color before he disappeared and the world came back to its normal pace. But somewhere very far away, states and almost the entire length of the county, the night was broken with the bright flash of a Chaos Control based teleport.

A dark blue anthro hedgehog fell from the center of it and thudded onto hard black top of the road with a startled yelp. "Huk…_ow_." The hedgehog muttered into the pavement.

After a few minutes of getting better acquainted with the roadway, the anthro carefully started to pry himself loose and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He flattened his ears as he checked over his person patting hands over ears, muzzle, neck, sides, a key point that was lower... and then behind to a twitching tail. Making sure everything was where it should be and nothing was broken.

The bases' of his dark blue quills were sore, like they had been repeatedly yanked too hard, but not hard enough to be pulled out. The same quills were wild and swept back into clumps, and like his fur were no longer a light blue shade except for the steaks that ran through them. Looking down he found that his belly and lower chest were a rich brown color, though unaware at the moment that his muzzle and inner ears were the same shade.

A semi-short tail twitched and the hedgehog blinked around, trying to figure out where he was as he stood. Ears rotated around, trying to catch any sound and only picking up a questioning cricket that was trying to see if it was safe again.

The hedgehog looked down, touching the few remaining shreds of fabric on his person. He peeled those off, but paused to just stare at his feet. Twitching his toes under the stained cloth.

"Why... do I have socks but no shoes?" He wondered balancing with no noticed effort on first one foot to take off the offending sock. He sniffed it, and promptly gagged. "Dear Chaos!" He tossed it away, snorting and trying to clear his nose sensitive nose of the scents of sweet, blood and Guardians only knew what else. Hopping to his other foot the hedgehog anthro made fast work of ridding himself of the other sock and tossing it even farther away.

Two bright lights and the blaring of a horn from behind made the anthro jump and spin around. Emerald orbs took in the _massive_, and rather _scary_ looking truck was all it took to send the hedgehog bolting the other way.

A sonic boom rolled back down the road to the confused truck driver.

Once he started running, he... didn't want to stop. He fisted his hands and let the wind pull his arms back as he _ran_. Eyes half lidded in contentment as the wind twined around him. Is this what, who he was, a sonic boom?

"Sonic…" The hedgehog gave a toothy grin. He liked that; he liked it a lot. So…yes, he was Sonic.

Sonic the Hedgehog.

Could it just be as simple as that? ...Yes, yes it could and it was.

The Anthro picked up his feet, taking longer strides and trying to keep his soft feet from hitting the ground too hard. He needed shoes…but didn't want to stop running just yet.

Sonic didn't want to stop, but when he ran smack into a sign that had '25 MPH' he kind of had to stop. Actually it was more like yipping, flailing midair and rolling until he hit a tree. Sprawled at the base of the truck, Sonic stared cross-eyed at the world while leaves drifted down from his not so kind crash mat in an attempt by the tree to bury him in revenge.

"Blood hell that hurt..." Sonic complained as his legs dropped over him, and he rolled over to change into a slightly better position of being sprawled on his front in the earth. The smell of grass cut the day before and leaves in every state was a much better lullaby than anything else could have been.

Or he just hit his head too hard, but Sonic didn't noticed or mind when old but still strong arms lifted him up, and the elderly owner of the property half carried half dragged the anthro into a cabin.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Someone that will return again

Professor Charles sighed as the man eyed his guest bed, a fold out could bed. It was old and slightly lumpy yes, but at the same time it was easy to replace the mattress and the blankets repaired if any damaged came from the now slumbering form on it. The anthro was sprawled out at an angle and he was in a limp, almost boneless seeming sleep.

It had been a long time since the man had seen any anthro, and never this fart north. Not that he saw many people here at his second house, a cabin out in the middle of nowhere that he inherited years ago, it was between the California and Oregon border. The semi isolation was why the Professor liked it out here, the nearest village of Thatched was close enough to get supplies, but not so close to be easily bothered.

Most of the time.

The man was out here to write his next book. One of his adventures from his past in the jungles of one of the first Zones discovered. Recounting the dangers and wonder of those months, of exotic plants, animals and even people, human and anthro alike, the graceful beauties that loved painting skin, scale, feather and fur with bright colors at night to keep back the dark ness. Proud and tall warrior males that hunted or checked small patches of farmed earth away from the safety of protected villages.

The Guardians, the impossible reality of anthro's with inhuman abilities from the raw strength to snap a tree in half. He recounted the roomers of speed or as some whispered those that could move this with their auroras and not look. The lines with a Guardian in them were known in that Zone by how an anthro's fur was a different color then the normal. As an albino or a morph color.

Professor Charles leaned back in his chair, looking to his right where his notes and pictures where lauded out. He regarded the blue fur of his guest, and wondered a bit. Wishing that he hand another month in that Zone at least, or for another trip...

Hm, maybe… just maybe he could go back on his own dime, with all the sales form his books it was possible. The grey eyed man had enough material to have tree books at any given time.

After checking the hedgehog anthro over the man sat back down at his desk, looking over his notes to see where he had left off before going to investigate the crashing beyond his drive. He had the now rather sad looking and crumpled speed limit sign was resting in as much peace as it could on his front lawn.

"Ah," Charles smiled as he re-read the last few lines. The he continued explaining what he would never forget.

Seeing the massive winged reptiles that some considered only myth. Of how they had and almost symbiotic relationship with the natives. While the intelligent creatures stood guard over a chosen village, the inhabitance in turned would care for the nest with either eggs or hatchlings inside. Of how he had been aloud, even if supervised, to see the priceless, treasured eggs where they rested in the center open hut of the village where everyone could be protective space. Charles remembered even now the feel of the leathery shells that were both soft and strong at the same time. About the width and size of a basketball, just more oval shaped.

It had been a thrill on its own, two hold and cradle a real live dragon egg. Though he was known to mean no harm, the Professor hadn't been able to help a shiver as the mother lowered her head first to peer in. metal hard muscles rippling under brown scaly hide, her stripes seeming to ripple like stirred up leaf-cover.

The winged male had ducked his head inside, but to flick out a forked touch to playfully lick two of the shadowing youth. He had hopped away nimbly and had, surprisingly, played a game of tag with the village youth, fanning his wings now and then. The real shocker to the outsiders was the fearlessness displayed by the children as they had scrambled all over the dragon when he finally stretched out in the afternoon sun to dose, tolerantly letting them play on his form and under limp wings.

Professor Charles looked up at hearing a tapping on his window, drawn out gently, at least in comparison to the night before, from his work. A blue jay was peering in with the dawn light. It tapped its beak against the glass of the window, wanting in as much for the small bowl of bird seed as well as to get a pet as it had done almost every day for the past month. The man leaned over and after unlatching the window, spun the mechanism that opened the window.

The bird happily came in with four double hops, pausing to except the stroke of fingers over its back and wings before investigating the bow near the window.

Charles watch his 'wild pet' as ran a hand over one of his few personal features that the man took a good amount of pride in. The long, luxuriant pepper and salt mustache, it liked to twitch and bristle now and then on his upper lip when something interesting was happening or about to. Like it was doing right now.

The man turned as he picked up that a background sound of the not quiet snoring of the anthro. It didn't seem to be any awake or waking up sounds that he knew of, and Charles had seen quite a few people over the years and the differing sleeping habits. Though there were some things that were if not the same then similar, and on the flip side sometimes you came across something you never seen. Or heard.

He chuckled softly, aware of the blue jay attempting to pull the pen out of his fingers, in retaliation he poked a wing with the pen. As the bird started a rather one sided 'fight' with the pen, Charles looked around his cabin, it was fairly open, with the fire place behind him warming the place. 'L' shaped the cabin seemed to be as old as he was, but also withstanding the weathering just as well if not better.

Pulling his lap top back into place, and letting the jay have the pen cap to add to his nest. The Professor started in explaining the legions behind the jungle dragons and Guardians, he slowly got reabsorbed in his writing and memories of not only that trip but a few others to reference.

Coming across a note for Fox Valley, the man paused to consider. That Zone was Oregon, and relatively speaking not that far away. Maybe he could go there for an interview, Fox Valley had a Guardian. One that matched the descriptions of those in the jungle Zone, maybe he would be willing to talk. When hunger penetrated his focus, and the Professor looked up to find it late afternoon instead of morning.

"Ooohh, worked on this too long... need some food and get the blood flowing. What the?" Professor Charles had stood, stretched, waiting for the brief dizzy moment to pass before turning around.

The anthro was gone.

Taking a deep breath, Charles looked around the cabin. From around the couch bed to the other side of the fireplace. His bedroom, the pantry and laundry room proved empty of any blue furred anthro. The second door was unlocked like the 'front door' so the man walked out onto the covered deck, looking around. It had started to drizzle outside, and he walked alone the shelter of the wrap around porch that was covered as well. There were some foot prints, and a pair of shoes were missing from and outside rack, as well as a bag.

"I hope you can trust human sonny," Professor Charles said looking up at the nearest of the many fruit and nut trees around his home. By the looks of it the earliest of the harvest was nipped. And Charles just couldn't begrudge that or bag, and wished the anthro the best of luck as he watched the rain fall.

In the wet, the anthro in question was sighing, pulling his new backpack in with him into a long since abandoned barn. It was heavy full of apples and peaches, and a hand full of walnuts, but the thought that maybe Sonic would have been better off where he woke up didn't even seem to click with him. It hadn't been fear the drove him to leave, but this new odd, but welcoming instinct to _move_.

Though unknowing, this wouldn't be the last time Sonic would see Charles. Though they would more proper meet that time with the company of a nomad and lost kit.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

The path starts here

It looked so warm inside that little house as the anthro peered in through one of the darker windows. He was trying really hard not to feel like a stalker as he did so. But the fire that gave its warmth to those inside and spilled a soft squares of light outside had attracted Sonic like moth to flame.

_No, it's more than just warm_, Sonic thought, _it seems safe_.

In so many ways it was safe in there. Not just the fire but also the thick wall protecting them from the cold, almost biting winds outside... Alright it was like it was not that cold out here at this exact moment, but close enough with you were soaked through the fur. The small house and the inviting flames sheltering those that lived inside from the storm.

A storm that gave the impression that it wasn't done yet and had not yet released its full wrath on the land. Even though everything from ground house and the tops of trees were already soaking wet, including anthro hedgehogs. Sonic shivered, dark blue quills rattling against one another and the backpack sliding around a little as he did so, droplets of water found that they could fly again as they were shaken off.

Sonic's fur was sopping wet, despite however many times he shook himself. He would only be drenched again in a matter of what seemed like just seconds. The worst of it was that his shoes were soaked as well, squishing every time the anthro shifted his weight. Sonic had just discovered that he would rather tollgate wet fur for a while longer if it mean his feet were dry.

He pushed his nose to the bottom of small window again, looking in longingly at the family inside like a lost puppy. The fire that looked so warm, the promise of safety and shelter of the visible room, not to mention the food that looked so good. Even more so with his own nipped supplies. The anthro couldn't get in... Well he could, but even his odd life style kept Sonic from breaking into places.

He fisted his hands against the glass on either side and just below his head.

It wasn't fair!

How could they look so happy in there when he had to suffer out here? Why did he have to be so different from every other person on this world? If he was human like them he could knock on the door without that fear of being driven off yet again and not be yelled at, surely the father in there would let him stay. The mother would take care of his shivering self wouldn't she? Those kids would play with him, even if he was a bit older (not that he knew how old he was for that matter). They would share dinner with him, let him sleep in a warm bed.

Chaos, Sonic would even sleep on the floor if he had to, with a thick blanket and a soft pillow, instead of inside a fallen or hollowed out tree, or that cold barn behind him. Surely he could have all those wonderful things if he was a human too.

_If I was human…?_ Sonic echoed the thought again, snapping out the self-pity mood brought on by the weather and being wet, ears flicking backup as he stood back, _Do I want to be limited to the restrictions of the human body?_

Sonic realized he couldn't just give up all that he could do. From being able to run as fast as he could now, to jumping as far as he could from a stand still let alone with a running start, or to feel the wind give way to _him_, feeling the way it pass through his outer fur and quills. No longer able to hear that sonic boom when he pushed himself to full speed and then some?

Be unable to use his quills to defend, or attack, or cut though things?

Could he give up all that? Give up that pure, untainted, genuine feeling of sheer joy of running? To give up that sense of rightness he had when he pushed past the speed of sound, and trying to go just that much faster and farther...

His ears flattened back against his head, closed his deep, emerald green eyes and relaxed his hands.

"No." Sonic whispered to himself, he knew that he not only wouldn't but couldn't give any of that up to become human. Even if it meant he couldn't go into a house like this one and sit in the fires light all warm with a full stomach.

He opened his eyes and saw that one of the young girls was looking back at him. She tilted her head and be pure reaction Sonic cocked his head in the same direction, ears rotating up to attention. For a moment they just watched each other before the girl hopped up and ran out of sight, her father looking after her in confusion. Sonic ducked out of sight, starting off to the side to leave.

A brighter pool of light came, startling the anthro as well as blind him from the brighter inside lights. "Ahr…" he muttered, squinting and lifting a hand to shade his eyes.

"Hello?" The girl in the door way asked, one hand on the frame.

"Hi..." Sonic said back, stepping closer, but he paused seeing the slight pull back of the girl. The hedgehog smiled softly as he dropped down into a kneeling couch. Not that Sonic thought himself intimating by any means, but he was a spike-y and blue furred so... a little different.

"You have fur," The girl pointed out, tilting her head for a moment before pushing her red hair out of her face, "And wet."

"Yeah, I'm really wet." The hedgehog rand a hand through his quills, and once more was promptly soaked through again within a minute. "You should go back in kiddo, or you'll get wet too."

"Okay... but aren't you going inside too?" The girl asked, pushing at her bangs again as she looked worried at the anthro. To her child mind seeing not a mutant or anthro really, but something like in her bedtime stories or her favorite cartoon movies. Just come to life as the stories say. What if his was a lost prince of something?

"This isn't my place to go inside of." Sonic shrugged, then smiled as the rain started to come sideways now, "Don't worry princess, I still got some food and I can keep warm."

"I'm not a princess, I'm just Sally," the girl, Sally, tugged at her night shirt, she frowned almost delicately. "Don't you have a home?"

"Not like you and your family do here," The hedgehog stepped back to give himself a full body shake. He heard footsteps from inside, ears pricking, "Don't worry kiddo, I'll survive."

"Sally?" a man's deeper voice called, "What are you doing with the door open?"

"Daddy's there's a really wet talking animal- hey wait!" Sally turned back as Sonic stood back up and turned away as the girl pointed to him.

The air swirled and a deep, but not too loud, boom like sound was heard. Sounding like thunder after a too close lightning strike to the man and his other daughter. The rain was kicked up and scattered every which way, and it took a full half minute before it started to fall again.

The dark blue and brown hedgehog had fled before he could possibly be yelled at, and thus chased off. Although, perhaps, the anthro had taken off too soon this time. The big red haired and bearded man, Doctor Brian O'Connell stepped out into the rain with a flashlight in hand. His two daughters Sally and Lilly hovering in the windows, worriedly searched for the bedraggled looking hedgehog for a good twenty minutes after Sonic left.

Elsewhere, unaware of the chance missed, pale sneakers where a blur of motion as were his legs, his hands fisted again, mentally claiming it was against the wind, not from any fright. To any normal eye he was nothing more than a blue, or just dark against a darker background of the night time forest, a streak none the less that was zipping from one tree to another, searching for a dry haven.

It proved to be impossible in this storm. The rain was intensifying once more as Mother Nature was either crying or raging. Or both. So any hiding places that weren't already taken that would let Sonic fit soon be as wet as him. Those few spots that would always stay dry were too small for him to fit more than his head in.

He turned sharply to the left when he caught a glimpse of what looked like a road in the near dark. Maybe he'd have better luck finding a burrow or something else that he could use to out-wait the storm. He hated all this water and wanted out of it right now. He came onto the road at an angle. His pace had slowed considerably because of the cold wetness at this point.

"Come on," Sonic muttered, slowing down as he started to hydro plan on the road he just got on. He just spotted the outline of a low, but likely pine tree ahead and to his left, the kind that was smaller. Being so low to the ground and fluffed out it should be dry under there. A _lot_ of pine needles would have to be picked out of his fur in the morning, but it would dry, if not slightly warmer.

The single light cut through the night, not only blinding Sonic but the sheer lack of sound meant he was completely taken off guard. Wincing and lifting a hand in an attempt to save his eyes, the large humanoid hedgehog realized too late that the motorcycle couldn't swerve to avoid him, and neither could he.

Mind you, it wasn't like both parties didn't try their best, with Sonic jumping up and forward, and the motor cycle driver hitting brakes and jerking to the side. It was all in a vain effort.

Cold, smooth and rather hard metal was introduced into to Sonic's stomach and chest a split second before he was thrown into the driver. Knocking the leather clad human off as the motorcycle turned sideways.

Neither remember landing.

Sonic's fur seemed to be even more soaked then before, probably from the muddy ground where he was. The antrho hurting almost everywhere but not as much as points in the ribs. He wheezed and gargled from a punched lung, the male staring up into rain unblinkingly for a minute, or an eternity, before jerking as the remaining Chaos energy that was stored in his body reacted to his pain.

The road was lit only by a motor cycle's headlight, and that aimed away from the two living beings sprawled on the road. For a moment though, a second golden light formed in ribbons, wrapping around the hedgehog's chest and seeping in. He jerked and twitched, moving like he was having an episode, than arched and twisted around to his side and was almost all the way over before throwing up. What was left of an apple, the blood and another black fluid from his lunge was washed away by the rain after Sonic collapsed as the energy faded.

Then he melted into the darkness of the mind as Sonic fell unconscious, not knowing or caring at that moment if he would wake up again.

* * *

**Queen's note:** This should look a little familiar XD At least to any who red this story to start with. I'm going to try my best to have this updated on Mondays =3 As you can see there will be some things that are different as I revamp this story, hope you the readers like this as much as the old rendition.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

In the Rain

"...ow..." A woman's voice groaned from where she was laying on her back. The woman was stiff and what she was laying on was even stiffer and harder, so it wasn't her bed, or her living room, or her workshop. The fact she still had her helmet on too also said that she wasn't home. "_Ow..._" She added as the throbbing of her left shoulder penetrated the fog of her mind first from the outside world.

The rest of her senses soon bled back into her awareness. She was cold from being soaking wet, but not to the point where her body wasn't trying to shiver so that was good. Carefully she flexed her fingers, toes, wrists, ankles, and other joints one at a time, though the left arm wasn't responding overly well. Though very stiff and uncomfortable there was not stabbing pain or throb of broken bones for the rest of her body. Maybe a sprained joint or two and a mass amount of bruising along her left and back side (and her _backside-_ ow!), but that was a hazard of crashing when on a motorcycle, even when she hadn't been going over 25 mph.

Wait.

Crash?

Carefully, Jessica- Jessy as she preferred to be called, pushed her shoulder blades up, tried to the left side wasn't working as well still, and arched her back the littlest bits. Testing to be sure she could move her spine, and neck the old fashion way without blacking out or kicking the bucket. Those all important things didn't seem to be broken. Once that was done she reached up and felt around her helmet with her good arm, squinting as she turned the inside display back on. Even with a crack in the visor she could still read the date and time.

"Chaos... over three hours?" Jessy muttered looking at the time and date. It was now almost two-am. The date was still, reality, the same so that was good. "Comp, vitals..." She gasped out as she attempted to roll over, getting it on the second try. One hand whipping some of the mud off her chest, but only smeared it more.

"Damn it..." She muttered, this was her favorite riding jacket too. Though, even without the mud it was going to be a while to wear it again, as the sheep skin inside was holding water like it normally held heat. No wonder she was so cold.

The woman twitched and gritting her teeth as she felt a buzzing through her whole body. It stung but didn't hurt too bad, not with the rest of her frame throbbing in time with either her heart or the rain. Inside her helmet, maybe the only semi dry part of her, a female humanoid display came up, just to the right side of the front. Several places on the wire frame where yellow, the worst of her aches along the left, chest, back and one spot flashed red.

Ah, that's why she couldn't move her left arm very well, at all.

With the task of rolling over accomplished, Jessy slowly sat up, ready to rip off her helmet if she felt any nausea, but the scan proved true in that she didn't have a concussion. That didn't make getting up with one arm any easier but at least she wasn't about to throw up in her helmet.

"Stats," Jessy crocked out next as she wavered for a moment, spotting the headlight of her ride down the road a bit. She took slow steps to the side of the road as the human wireframe vanished and in its place a wire frame of the motorcycle came up. There was a pause as the computer in her helmet linked up to the one in the bike before the display lit up with colors and readings.

Mostly everything was blue, green and few spots of yellow. Nothing that she couldn't fix, though it would eat all the time she had saved at first by finishing it early. It was a good thing Jessy hadn't called the costumer to tell him his motor cycle was done after all. Maybe if it was just paint and a few dents she could still get the early bonus...

Thoughts on that subject paused, shunted aside as the woman growled to herself, now standing by one of the trees. She found a spot and wedged her arm in the dip, then with a yelped and bit out half formed curse she jerked her arm.

"Bloody hell- OW!" Jessy whined as she flexed her fingers, abandoning any 'bad ass bicker chick' image that may or may not have been there; to bounce and spun in a cercal from the pain of forcing the dislocated joint back into place. "Owowowow-bloodyOW!" She bounced on the balls off her feet before pressing her back against the tree, breathing heavy and shallow, but Jessy struggled to control her breathing through the new flare of pain.

The mechanic stared at the soft glow of the wireframe-bike on the inside of her helmet, waiting out the pain until it was down to a throb instead of spikes through the joint. She watched the time tick away, and after ten minutes of zoning out Jessy remembered where her power-stone stash was. Those could be used as painkiller and healing aid, something that would be very helpful.

Jessy carefully rolled her shoulders as she pushed off the tree, easing back to the road with about the same slow pace from before. With the adrenalin flowing again, and being wide awake, Jessy spotted the other form sprawled on the ground not far from where she had been.

Her heart sunk so far it felt like it hit her bladder.

Almost nub with fear, Jessy stumbled over, the closer she got the clearer the dark outline was. She dropped down to her knees and rolled the furry form over, checking for dips in the rib cage or for open wounds. The mechanic pulled her gloves off and lifted the anthros head up, angling it away from the flooding road. Pausing for a moment the woman pressed her free hand down to the ground, staring.

"Comp, full nocturnal enhancement," she ordered the computer in her helmet, there was a soft whine somewhere behind her left ear, then the visor lit up on the inside. The bike display vanished as everything was highlighted with soft golden lines. Jessy looked around then back at her hand, where the water was rising up to her wrist. "Crap, it is flooding. Okay dude, you're breathing so I'm getting you out of here-OW!"

Jessy jerked her right hand back, hissing at the new sting of pain across her palm, having just tried to lift the rare anthro up off the ground by putting her hand under his back.

"Chaos and the North Winds, what the hell do you have on you?" She demanded of the unconscious form, flexing her hand and watched blood ooze out of the, thankfully light cutes. "Damnet, I need to fix bikes this weekend... right, flooding. Very bad. Okay Jessy, think. Out cold Anthro that _you_ ran over. We're in a flooding area… Comp, maps, stats on Lumar Road." She paused to check the only road up to her house, and cringed at the report the computer got from online.

The way home was already flooded, by two feet at last report a half an hour ago. Had she been at home there wouldn't be a problem, as she was fully stalked up and had three motorcycles to work on, not to mention her own generator. But she was on the wrong side of flooding.

"Um, contacts... contacts... Comp, display Red O'Connell's address." Jessy ordered as she set the anthro down to pull on her gloves. "Don't you dare rollover buddy," She added to him as she stood, slashing through the water to the motorcycle, the light was still on and from the link up it should still run. Lifting it was harder than normal with a stiffening left shoulder. Jessy pushed it over to the anthro, reading the transparent map to her uncle's, who wasn't too far away. Plus, he was up on a hill.

Jessy kicked down the supports to keep the bike upright before kneeling back beside the anthro. Wondering just how she was going to do this. The thought of leaving him didn't even occur to the woman. Her upbringing and deeply ingrained Clan morals were demanding, more like ordering, that she do everything in her power to help the anthro. Funny how that voice in the back of her head sounded like Jessy's father.

"Sorry about this buddy, but Red's a vet, and probably knows more about anthros then some of the hospital doctors this far up north." Jessy said, and cringing internally started to unfasten then unzip her leather jacket. "This isn't going to be very graceful leather, you're skinny as a twig but you're nearly my height."

Jessy had her jacket over her one shoulder, and reached out to grasp the anthro's wrists, standing over him with his legs between hers she pulled back and up. Getting the limp hedgehog into a sitting position. She grabbed at one of his shoulders and dropped down to her knees over him, letting the dark furred anthro lean against her front as she pulled the jacked over him, flatting the possible deadly quills down doing so. Zipping the jacket up was hard enough but Jessy tied the sleeves in the back, synching the lower strap as far as it would go to keep the jacket in place.

Taking a deep breath, Jessy shifted, trying to get leverage but settling for sheer strength as she locked her arms around the anthro and lifted him up.

"Good gods, you are skin and bones and still heavy." Jessy complained as she man handled the anthro over to the motorcycle, getting his torso balanced on the handle bars first. Then she had to get on long leg over the bike and not drop him. By the time the hedgehog anthro onto the bike, Jessy was gasping, sore all over again and her left shoulder had increased from a throb back to spikes again.

Drawing on the pure stubbornness that came with being apart of her nomadic clan (ironically called the Storm Runners), was the only thing that seemed to let Jessy start the motorcycle and keep one arm locked around the anthro to keep him from falling off.

The water was already up to her ankles when they left, and kept rising until Jessy found the hill up to Red's house. It was more than a tense ride, lasting forever and only fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.

This time when pulling up to her Uncle's clinic, she went around back to the house, right up to the door and pulled her helmet off. "_Red!_" Jessy yelled, bellowed out at loud as she could, reaching for the door and when it was lock she hit it with her helmet, "Red! Red! Wake up! I's Jessy- the wrench welder!" She added, remembering that her name was fairly comment in their family. "RED! There's been an accident! Wake the hell up!" She abused the door with her helmet with each word.

When it was flung open from the inside, Jessy over balanced and dropped, grunting as the anthro fell on top of her. She stared at the slipper covered feet in front of her, "I need help." She informed slippers as she hissed in pain.

"Chaos- Jessy! What in the world happened!?" The big, red haired and bearded man demanded as he carefully lifted the still limp and out cold hedgehog bundle off his niece.

"Ran 'em over, dislocated my should- ow- watch those quills, an' flooding." Jessy attempted to explain as she crawled in after her Uncle, rolling over to kick the door close before taking a moment to enjoy being inside at last. The mud room was starting to live up to its name with her sprawled in it, though not large it was big enough to have not only a washer and drier on the left but some shelves to the right. With the motorcycle in under the overhang porch, so she wasn't even going to worry about that. Shivering, Jessy rolled over and pulled both her sweater and sensor shirt off as her uncle left to bring the anthro into his clinic. The mechanic got boots off fallowed by her jeans and the sensor 'tights', then finally sitting up she reached up and pulled down the drier's door, fishing in there to pull out one of her uncle's shirts to up on.

"Jessy?" Red's voice drifted over.

"I'm good, take care of him if ya' can." Jessy called back as she pulled out a towel to wrap around her head, getting a second to wipe the rest of her off before grapping one of Red's longer coats as she came into the house, bounce on one foot then another to pull on socks. She fallowed the light and sound into the clinic where her uncle was, with his eldest son and assistant. She took a brief moment to morn her favorite riding jacket that had been tossed almost carelessly aside before focusing on the two men.

"By the wind gods, what happened Jessy?" Red asked, looking up from where he was examining the anthro. Though all three knew perfectly well the poor thing wasn't an animal, the sad fact was that with anthro's rare enough here in the Old Word, and more so this far up north, the vet was the best option at the moment. To get to the nearest hospitals that would take in an anthro, let alone was able treat one were a good day or two drive to get to. Not to mention with the flooding this little community would be semi isolated for at least a week or two.

"I was stupid," Jessy admitted, rubbing her eyes before heading to one of the sinks in this large back area of the clinic, she reached for disinfectant as she turned on the water, "I could sleep earlier, so I was working in the shop, and decided to test drive the bike I finished. It wasn't raining as bad then. When it started to pick up I turned to head home and then this guy popped out of nowhere from the dark… I _hit him_- he knocked me off. I dislocated my shoulder and was knocked out for three hours...ish. Hey, watch out for those spiky thingies, their sharp," Jessy held up her right, currently pink hand and displayed the cuts on the palm.

"Doesn't seem like he broke ribs…" Red stood up after finishing checking the anthro's legs, "surprising… what about you?"

"Not sure," Jessy shrugged, "Don't think so, doesn't feel like it, I wasn't going too fast. Thanks Jacob." She added as her cosine stepped over to check her hand.

"Doesn't look like you need stiches but it's still going to need to be wrapped up." Jacob said, the young man was about Jessy's age. Around 25, and though he didn't have his father's broad chest and shoulders, the young man had just as bright red hair, friendly smile but his mother's blue eyes. "We need to get you warmed up too, you're freezing Jessica."

"Being conked out in a flooding road tends to make one hypothermic," Jessy said with a shaky smile, looking over at the anthro, and arched an eyebrow despite herself as she noticed something now that they were in the light. Even under the mud and being plastered down, Jessy commented ever so brilliantly, "Dude, he's _blue_."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Nice warm bed

When Sonic awoke, he was aware of a few things. The nicest of the lot was that he was warm all over, ear tips to toes and everything in-between. He wiggled some and then stopped when it became apparent that it was a bad idea to do so. Well over half of his body, mostly his stomach and the whole of his right side hurt. After a wee bit of wiggling Sonic was relieved to find that although several of his ribs were more than likely cracked, they thankfully weren't broken in the worst way. He could thank not only his own anthro body for that, since even despite his malnutrition it was still denser than a normal human. As well as the lingering Chaos energy in his frame.

It took a few minutes for Sonic to register, as he struggled to be back into the land of the fully conscious, that there was something heavy, yet soft, on top of him. It was a large yellow and tan comforter. He turned his head and found that there was a pillow of the sane pattern under his head as well. His quills where fattened against his back and the bed, but it wasn't uncomfortable, nor that his chest was wrapped.

Sonic was in a semi-dark room, cloud filtered light came in through two windows. Though some rain was drizzling on the glass, but nowhere near the intensity of what it had been like before (not that Sonic was sure how long he had been out, it could have been hours or days), it was slowly getting brighter from false dawn to true morning.

Sighing, the anthro debated on around to see what he could other than where his head was tilted to the left, he was in a large queen size bed. The room was light, being painted a golden yellow with...plants here and there growing on the walls? There was a dresser over towards the foot of his bed. The glitter of crystal caught his eye but there was no temptation to investigate right now.

Sonic carefully shifted so he could pull the comforter up to his muzzle, green eyes peering unfamiliar plants, wondering where he was and if he had died and gone to heaven. If he did it wasn't so bad, if heaven had such a comfortable bed. When he became use to the room (and realized that some of the plaints were paintings) he tried to remember what happened, but couldn't remember much. He had found a house then ran when he had been spotted by the adult man. There had a sudden bright light as he was jogging, looking for a hollow.

Nothing.

No... He remembered the colors, they had been soft and glowing in an interesting way in front of his slumped form (was he tied up?). He remembered liking those at least, but then what? He was here. He didn't know how he'd gotten here. Or where here was for that matter, but he wasn't complaining too much. Though Sonic could really use some food, all things considering it was nice and warm, and dry, and warm, and seemed safe enough. And it was _warm!_

...he was getting sick of being cold and out in the elements if you couldn't guess.

"Mmm..." Sonic wriggled his toes and tried to get deeper into the bed without tarring any scabs or, you know, breath too deeply. He liked this, he liked this a lot really. The hedgehog was starting to dozed off when there came a soft giggle to his left.

Dark blue ears pricked up out of the space between the comforter and pillow at the sound, then one rotated like a radar dish to fallow and aim at the sound as there was another giggle. There was a pause before the other ear flicked. After another giggle, the ear twitched deliberately three times, then twice as they identified two separate young voices.

Slowly, carefully, Sonic reached out with his left arm. Stretching it out as far as he could before lifting the comforter up enough to just be able to look out between the small opening. After a moment a small set of blue eyes peered in, and two small hands lifted the blanket a little more for both young girls to peer back at Sonic as the hedgehog tried not to shiver at the small shot of cooler air that came in.

"Hi..." a shy voice spoke up, red bangs falling into the faces of both girls.

"Hi there," Sonic smiled, a soft half purr escaping him. As leery as he was with humans, he could never quiet felt the same way with the kids. Most of the time they were too innocent to know that animosity aimed at anthros. The hedgehog frowned as he looked at the girls, twins by the nearly identical features they had, though one had blue eyes the other green. Had he met them before... Sally! From last night (was it last night or more then one night?) and that sister he had glimpsed.

The other girl spoke up "I'm Lilly, this is my sister Sally. Daddy says your hurt so you shouldn't move okay?"

"I wasn't planning on moving." Sonic admitted and assured as he blink, then again as the blanket was put back down. Ears pricked again, he winced as he pushed the comfertor down, the new if still flittered light of dawn.

The girls ran over to where a padded chair had been dragged into. The red fabric was out of place to the spring yellow and green theme of the rest of the room. Sitting in the chair, reclined back and with thick wool, sock-covered feet propped up on the side of the bed Sonic was in. Someone had tossed the throw blanket off the bed onto her at some point, it matched the comforter. It didn't cover up that her left arm that was in a sling, and the other was tossed over her face too keep the morning sun out of her eyes.

The woman stirred as the girls pestered her into waking up, "Aunt Jessy! Aunt Jessy, he's up! He's up, up, _up!_"

Jessy stirred and snorted, wincing against the light much as the Anthro had just done as she lifted her right arm, "What? Okay, okay I'm up girls….no I'm not, hang on."

She yawned hugely, her whole frame shifting and then stretched. Lifting her left arm a bit and the right reaching out into open space before tucking behind her head. Jessy looked over at the anthro in the bed that was watching her far more carefully then he had the two younger girls. For a long few moments nothing happened as blue eyes met clear green.

"Hi," Jessy said around a much smaller yawn.

"...hi." the hedgehog said back. One ear flicking but the other curved forward in interest. "I'm Sonic. I think I was run over." He said, using shallow breaths, anything deeper hurt too much.

"I'm Jessy," The mechanic gave Sonic a lazy two finger salute with a bandaged hand, "I ran you over."

Sonic blinked. Twice.

Strangely, despite most of his interactions with adult humans thus far in his short, _remembered_ life, Sonic found himself smiling. As for some impossible reason, Sonic realized that he just suddenly liked this woman. "Thanks so much," he said dryly.

"No problem," Jessy said, matching his tone and arching an eyebrow, "You did manage to yank my arm out of it's socket so... tie?"

"Um, sure?" Sonic blinked a few times again before looking around. "Where am I?"

"Theisa Washington," Jessy fought back another yawn as she sat up slowly, pulling her feet off the bed and tilted the recliner back upright. "Currently in one of my Uncle Red's guestrooms."

Sonic glanced at the hair of the girl's at the mention of red before looking back to Jessy.

"We're not going to hurt you." Jessy assured, careful to keep her voice low and as non-threatening as possible, having seen the not so subtle look the anthro hedgehog was giving her. Estimating.

"_You_ ran me over."

"_You_ ran out into the middle of a dark road in front of me."

"…good point."

"Here," Jessy rose stiffly, from having slept in and odd position from her normal. She spotted the two covered bowls on the dresser that her technically young cosines brought in (though considering the age difference it was a bit easier to let them call her their aunt), "Why don't you sit up? We got some food for you, let's get that in you before we do anything. I'll even leave if it would make you feel better…?"

"Food?" Sonic tipped his ears up again and sniffed, smelling something good now that his nose was out of the blanket. This human couldn't be _so_ bad if it- she, was offering him something to eat.

"Cha," The human nodded, "Here," She added coming over and carefully pulled the comforter off the hedgehog, without touching him and with her good arm.

Sonic slowly sat up, wincing as he pulled something that shouldn't have been pulled. He watched the human as it, no, he corrected himself firmly, as _she_ went over to the dresser and picked up a tan bowl and a spoon. The two girls were shooed out of the room by the door behind the red chair, but his black nose twitched, inhaling the smell of whatever was in the dish.

His stomach gave a loud growl.

"Snt." The woman swallowed a laugh and handed the bowl over to Sonic's eager hands. He didn't bother with the spoon and sipped at the broth instead. When he found that it wasn't too hot, just warm and had a rich, slightly salty tang, Sonic he started to gulp it down barely chewing the soft noodles, celery, carrots and bits of meat. At least, he did that until he got a scolding to slow down before he choked. Sonic did slow down, but didn't stop until he licked the blow clean of every drop of the chicken noodle soup.

"And I thought me and my bothers ate fast." The comment reminded Sonic of the human that was now sitting on the end of the bed. He looked up and tilted his head to the side, taking his first real look at her. His emerald gaze had only a hint of wariness in it, but it was obvious that he was curious about her.

The woman wasn't that much taller than him, maybe a half a head taller if that. She had short brown hair, a loose black and white t-shirt with some car emblem on it, and a pair of to-big gray sweatpants. Her feet were crossed where she was leaning on the bed post, though she had a strong, but not a very large build under the loose cloths, showing that she was physically active; Sonic noted something he hadn't before. At the neck, on the left side where the dark copper skin was visible there and on the left arm where the sling wasn't covering, it was discolored in bruising.

Than Sonic remembered, a flash of memory inserting itself back into place. Of failing to jump in time, of not just hitting the turning motorcycle but impacting against the rider and taking her off with his momentum.

_Ouch._

"Would you like some more?" Jessy asked nodding at the bowl Sonic had yet to release.

"Can I?" He asked glancing down at the empty dish, coming back to the here and now.

"Of course," She held out her hand and the hedgehog handed her the bowl, watching as Jessy stiffly turned to grab the bowl that had been meant for her. She gave that to him and left only to return less then a minute latter with more soup, having met Red just out of sight of the door, whispering a warning for him to stay back for now..

"Sonic!" The indigo hedgehog said on his third bowl as he slurped up the last of the broth off his thumb. By now convinced that this human at least didn't have any intentions of hurting him. It's funny how a full belly could change your first opinion of someone.

"Eh?" The woman blinked over at him, pausing from sipping at her own bowl of soup.

"My name," Sonic said looking up, "It's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." He stuck his hand out, ignoring the discomfort in his side and forearm as he did so.

"Jessica Binger." Jessy said taking the offered her good hand after setting the bowl aside just as carefully and shaking it. She smiled as she saw that the anthro kept his grip loose as he spotted the banges on her hand again, "Call my Jessy, everyone does, and I like it better. It's nice to meet you Sonic."

Sonic tilted his head again thinking, "Where am I again?"

"At my Uncle's. Since you had an intimate, yet nasty introduction with the front end of my motorcycle." The woman said wincing again. "I brought you back here, there isn't a clinic anywhere nearby that takes anthros in-"

"I'm a hedgehog." Sonic frowned.

"You're also an anthro."

"Am not."

"Do you even know what an Anthro is?" Jessy raised an eyebrow.

"Errr…" Sonic paused as he really thought about it, he'd been called that a few times by humans but no one would stop screaming or sometimes throwing stuff to explain.

"Didn't think so." The woman said taking the empty dish from Sonic's lax fingers, "An anthro is an intelligent, humanoid being, primarily animal like here. Though I heard of some plant types farther south in the rainforests."

"Huh." Sonic lifted his hands, looking them over then eyeing Jessy's. He didn't see much of a difference between them other than he had fur and small claws and she didn't. He shrugged it off then yawned hugely, sleepy once again with a belly that was full.

"Go back to sleep, you need it." Jessy said getting up and headed for the door, "I'm going to be just outside in the living room with my uncle, I'll leave the doors open so if you need anything just yell."

"Hey Jessy?" Sonic called before she could leave.

"Yeah?"

"Umm… Where's the toilet?"


End file.
